About the Book

Non-scientists often perceive science as a dry, boring vocation pursued by dry, boring people. Contrary to popular perception, science has actually been the product of fascinating people seeking to explain the world around them. From Galileo’s difficulties with the Inquisition, to the quirkiness of Newton, to the iconic figure that was Einstein, this innovative volume chronicles the history of science using extensive passages from the works of the scientists themselves. Who better to appeal to our common sense concerning the truth of a sun-centered universe than Copernicus himself? Kepler expresses in his own words the way in which he awoke to the revelation of elliptical orbits, and Darwin shares his slowly evolving ideas leading to the theory of natural selection. Part biography, part history, this work reveals the personalities behind the world’s most significant scientific discoveries, providing an interesting new perspective on the human endeavor we call science. Instructors considering this book for use in a course may request an examination copy here.

About the Author(s)

Todd Timmons is professor of history at the University of Arkansas–Fort Smith, where he has taught for more than 20 years. His interests cover a broad spectrum in the history of science, technology, and mathematics.

Bibliographic Details

Table of Contents

Acknowledgments viPreface 1Introduction. Science in the Ancient and Medieval World 3

1. The Copernican Revolution 7 2. Galileo: Astronomy, the Birth of Modern Physics, and Science’s Battle with the Church 22 3. Copernicus Perfected? Kepler and Planetary Orbits 38 4. Gilbert, Harvey, and the Experimental Method 50 5. Descartes, Boyle, and the Mechanical Philosophy 65 6. Linnaeus, Buffon and Eighteenth Century Natural History 78 7. Newton and the Pinnacle of the Scientific Revolution 90 8. Lavoisier, Dalton, and the Birth of Modern Chemistry 107 9. From Franklin to Faraday: Developments in the Science of Electricity 121 10. Paradigm Shift: Darwin and Natural Selection 132 11. Laplace to Galton: Uncertainty in the Physical and Social Sciences 151 12. Einstein, Bohr, and Twentieth-Century Physics 167 13. From the Individual to the Collective: Oppenheimer, the Manhattan Project, and the Emergence of “Big Science” 180 14. Genetics, Germ Theory, and DNA: The Work of Mendel, Pasteur, Watson and Crick 195